The Other Side of Equestria
by Shad0w71
Summary: Equestria is not what it seems to be; friendship and magic and fun. There is a darker side to this place, and it can only be found in Ponyville. Watch as Golden Gear slowly uncovers the truth about Ponyville, and if she will turn to violence like the rest...


Chapter 1 -The Factory

Golden Gear jumped out of her bed in excitement. "Oh dear Celestia, it's finally the day!" She exclaimed. It was finally test day for this filly. You see, Golden had been in Flight School for the past year, and now it was all going to finally pay off. Golden looked at her blank flank and sighed.

"Well, I may not know my 'special talent', but that doesn't mean that I'm not an awesome flyer," she murmured, spreading her yellow feathered wings. She looked in the mirror at herself. She was a smaller filly with a light yellow coat, a light brown mane, and baby blue eyes. Lyra always was around Golden, saying she almost looked like a human. Almost.

She trotted out of her door, too excited to speak to her parents. Holding her head high, she took off. She loved the sense of flight. She laughed as she did a loop in the air, then quickly sped off to the testing site.

When she finally got there, she looked around for a friend, Bolt Glider. He was a light grey foal, with a dark blue mane and green eyes that stood out. He was also a 'Blank Flank', yet he was also a really good friend to Golden. But, he was no where to be seen. The examiner, about to blow up, finally yelled, "IF YOU DON'T ALL SIT DOWN AND SHUT YOUR TRAP, THEN YOU'LL ALL FAIL!" That got to the fillys and foals, as they all quickly sat down and shut up. "Damn, what's his problem?" Golden heard a foal murmer.

"Now listen, everypony," the examiner began saying. "This is a three part test. You must first clear the sky by getting rid of the clouds, then fly through the hoops, then fold your wings for three, mind you, three seconds, pulling up at the right time and looking at the judges. If it is too long, you fail. Too short? Fail. If you do not start at the starting height, YOU FAIL. Got that?" All the fillys quietly nodded. He began saying the names of young ponys.

The names passed in a blur, Golden watching the ones who failed be pulled aside. She tilted her head, wondering where they go. Are they exiled, never to be seen again? Or are they simply banished to the ground below? The truth was yet to be revealed to her.

"Golden Gear, clear, fly, fall, complete."

Golden got up on her wobbly legs, and somehow saw Bolt smile at her. Her legs stopped wobbling as she began to walk confidently to the edge. "GO!" She spread her wings and flew to the starting limit, within a second the sky was clear, another and she was passed the rings. Everypony held their breath as Golden folded her wings and began to fall. 1...2...3! She pulled up and hovered in front of the judges.

They looked at their timer and stared at her in disbelief. "Damn, girl. You did that in 4 seconds. Rainbow Dash didn't even do it that fast. You set the record!" Cheering was heard as the judged pointed their hooves up, and Golden was passed. She sat down where the passers were, and waited for Bolt to be called.

"Bolt Glider, clear, fly, fall, complete."

Bolt got up confidently, and walkied to the edge. "GO!" Golden watched as he spread his wings, and got ready for flight, but then a pink hoof came out and tripped Bolt as he took a step into the air. Bolt lost control and fell directly to the cloud ground below. Looking up, there were three hooves, pointed down. Some fillys started laughing. Golden, shocked, stood there as she felt her legs go numb. She wanted to fly to Bolt, to say it didn't matter, it was just a stupid test. Except one thing: it DID matter.

Bolt numbly flew up and went to the failures area. The examiner and judges wouldn't accept a single excuse: there was no reason for that performance. His head hung low, we waited with the other failures. Golden thought he looked greyer than usual.

When the tests were over, Golden gathered the courage to walk over to Bolt. As she trotted, a red stallion with a spikey grey mane and a white lab coat approached her. Golden tried to keep walking to avoid him, but the stallion shouted, "You there! Stop!" Golden reluctantly turned to the Stallion, keeping an eye on what was happening with the failures.

"Yes, Sir?" Golden responded.

"If my memory is still working, aren't you the pony who beat Rainbow Dash's flight record?"

Golden let out a small groan. Not this again. "Yes, I am."

"Good. Er- hi, my name is Dr. Hide Atmosphere." He put out his hoof.

Golden reluctantly shook his hoof. "I'm Golden Gear. Nice to meet you... No not really bad to meet you," she added silently.

"Likewise. Now, the weather factory is looking for strong flyers and intellegent ponys to hire. To get down to it, would you be intrested?"

Golden was stunned. She loved the weather factory! All the top Pegasi worked with weather, this was what she needed. Maybe she'd get her cutie mark in weather managing! "But, wait, how did you know I was smart? You didn't even know my name," Golden remarked.

"Ah, questions, questions," Hide replied, "So many questions. Will you do it or not?"

Golden looked at Bolt and the other Failures being herded away, then back at Hide, not knowing what to do. She knew Rainbow Dash, being the Element of Loyalty, would go after her friend.

"This is a one time offer," Hide quickly said, hoping Golden would chose the Weather Factory.

Golden looked back at the Failures as they were being herded away. She saw Bolt talking to another mare. "I don't care about him," she thought, "and I am NOT the Element of Loyalty either." With her decision, she looked up at Hide, and answered his question. "I want to work at the Factory."

"Excellent! Follow me, please. I have so much I need to show you before you start your adventure as a Weather Worker," Hide instructed.

They both walked down Cloudsdale, to the weather factory, when Golden saw a carriage, more of a cart based on it's size, flying towards the back of the factory. Golden wanted to ask about it, but decided not to waste her breath. She didn't want to mess this up.

They finally reached the Factory, and Golden's eyes widened as she saw the rainbows flowing past her, making a big rainbow-fall at the tip of the cloud. She looked at the grates where Spectra flowed out, and realized something. She would know the answer to the long told mystery: What is in Spectra? She smiled at the thought. Do they melt down crayons? Or take a mixture, pounding it until it's the right color? Or do they-

Her thoughts were interrupted as she entered the building. She kept following the red stallion, always trying to keep him in her sight, but she also looked around in awe. She had only been in the Factory once, and that was for a feild trip. She saw the pegasi making clouds, some inspecting snow flakes to make them perfect for winter. She wondered what it would be like, carving snow all your life. Maybe- Her thoughts were interrupted AGAIN, except this time she had bumped into Hide's hide.

"Oops, sorry," Golden lamely apologized.

Hide just walked into an elevator. Golden stared in disbelief. Were they really... were they going to the second floor? Nopony knows what happens there, will the secret finally be revealed to her eyes?!

"You coming?" Hide asked, a grin on his face.

Golden nodded as she stepped into the metal can, her eyes widening in awe. She didn't think this would ever happen to her. Hide pressed a button with his hoof, and the elevator slowly started going up.

"So..." Golden started, hating the awkward silence, "what do you do here?"

"I am the assisstant manager of the entire factory," Hide replied.

"Really? Cool. What's it like inside?"

"Sometimes it can have a dark side, but usually its fun. Especially around a bunch of loons."

"You mean the people in there are crazy?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"..."

Hide sighed.

"So what's your Cutie Mark for?"

"..."

"I noticed I couldn't see it because of your lab coat."

"You talk too much," Hide flatly stated.

Golden shut up the rest of the way.

BING. The elevator doors slid open, and revealed an empty room. "Huh?" Golden was confused, and now she was gettng worried. Her mother had warned her about strangers, but she hadn't even had a second thought!

"Sit down," Hide instructed, nodding towards a chair. Golden walked over to it and sat down. "Ok, now, I have to interview you before hand, otherwise D- er, my boss- will be mad at me." Golden nodded. "First, do you know what's in the Spectra?" Hide asked as he sat down.

"No, nopony knows," Golden answered.

"Spectra is made from magic, colored magic. The same type of the magic required can be found in ponys. It is in our blood, it is what gives us life and energy. When this is processed correctly, it gives us Spectra."

"S-sir?" Golden sqeaked. "A-are you saying you-?"

"No! We don't kill innocent ponys! How dare you! Let me finish! However, we do have to get it from somewhere. Unicorns used to do it, but no unicorn remembers the spell. At this same time, another problem arose, one about those Pegasi that fail their flight test. They tarnish Cloudsdale's name; I mean, who's ever heard of a Pegasus that couldn't fly? So, to solve this problem, the Pegasus Device was invented, and those Failures are used to fuel success in it."

Golden sat there, wide eyed, terrified.

"So now that you know, I must ask you, would you rather work at the Factory (which might mean you will never leave this place again), or give your life so a Failure can live?"

"Bolt..."

"There were only two unfortunate Pegasi who gave up their life, both Pegasi fell to the earth. One was too shy to fly fast enough, and the other wouldn't do anything without a muffin."

Golden sat there, this was too much to take in. He obviously meant Fluttershy and Derpy Whooves, but she couldn't imagine them in this place. She looked down, not wanting Bolt to die, but not wanting herself to die either. "This isn't about him," she thought, "It's about me."

"I... I want to work here..." Golden said quietly. She was only a filly, and she would never know if she would have gave her life for Bolt, it could just as easily be another pegasus. Hide smiled.

"Well ok then."

The walls on one side of the room opened, showing a dimly lit hallway.

Golden woke up, sweating as usual. She turned her head to look around the dimly lit and hot and sticky room. She couldn't believe how long it has been. Ten years. Set got up, stretching her wings. She walked to the mirror, and looked at herself. It had only been ten years, but the change was drastic. She looked at her torn ear, her, now metal, hoof, her blood stained wings and coat. She looked at her cutie mark, which surprisingly had nothing to do with flight, but had to do with her intellegence. There were three golden gears spinning in a triangle formation.

She smiled as she looked at the robot in the corner of the room. It had taken so long to make, but now it was finally done. After all the hard work, she decided it was finally time to turn it on. Golden walked over to it, remembering how it was made. There had been a dead unicorn found laying on the ground, and using that... that shape, the layout, a robotic mare that had rockets in her hooves to fly was made. The ON button blinked, and she pressed it. The robot sparked and opened its eyes. It looked at Golden, and then at the rest of the room. "Golden Gear...?" The robot looked at Golden.

"Yea, that's me," Golden laughed.

"My name is Mech_Cube," the metal mare responded. She shook her head "Can I go look around?"

Golden nodded and watched Mech leave. She had programmed the mare flawlessly, and knew that Mech wouldn't do any harm, except maybe to a few Failures, but that didn't matter. She had created a living, breathing robot, out of a dead body and some scrapmetal. What if she could do this... to OTHER ponys? Being able to be brought back from the dead, and live forever?

Hah, she wouldn't do it for the world. She knew that Mech was a prototype, a driod so far, and had to be tested out. If this worked well... Golden looked over at a large box sitting in the corner of the room. It was different than all the other boxes, the other ones holding scrap metal, blueprints, wires. She walked over to it and opened it, looking inside.

She remembered when she saved Bolt from the factory, begging the manager, Rainbow Dash herself, to give him another try, that another pony had pushed him. Rainbow seemed fond of Golden, and allowed it. Bolt passed in 5.5 seconds, almost as close as Golden. They had worked together on Mech_Cube for a long time. Golden felt tears coming to her eyes as she remembered what happened a few days ago. During the 'Incident', Bolt had been pushed into the mouth of the Device. Golden flew as fast as she could when she saw him, but the Device was faster. She stared into the box at the only thing left of Bolt: His head.

She closed the box and turned around, walking away. At least he had made the most beautiful blues and greens in the world. She walked out the door, headed to the main system. She needed to do some things in the Factory today, and as Hide's assisstant, as he was Dash's, Golden was very busy. She heard noise coming from the break room, and rolled her eyes. "Not this again," she murmered.

She opened the door and stepped inside. "Eh. I needed some coffee anyways," she thought. "'Ey, Golden, wh't ya' com'n' 'ere 'f'r?" Pipe Wrench asked. He was a buff stallion, with a battleship grey coat and a snow white mane. His cutie mark was showing, a rusted nut and bolt, since he never wore a labcoat. No one actually knew his real name, but the with the way he talked, nopony questioned it.

"Coffee," Golden muttered.

"You need coffee? Hehehee- HAHAHAHA! It's broken again! HAHAHA! Bring back the smarter pony!" Contrail was screaming his head off. He was a smaller stallion, who lost his mind. He wore a messy labcoat, a sky blue coat, and a dark blue mane.

"Oh, you've GOT to be kidding me," Golden complained, as she tried to get coffee.

"He's not kidding, unfortunately, and we can't get Gentle either," A dark orange stallion answered. He had a long blonde mane, and a dusty labcoat.

"Why c'n't we get G'ntle, Gauge?" Pipe questioned.

"She's lost her marbles," was the reply.

Suddenly, a large light green mare, with a darker green mane and sea blue eyes, burst in through the doors.

"Speaking of the devil," Golden yawned.

"'ey, G'ntle, C'mere an' f'x th' d'mn Cof'e' Mac'in'," Pipe said, as he motioned to the Coffee Machine.

"It's broken? It's broken? I'll fix it, I'll fix it right up, hahaha, broken, broken, must fix!" Gentle Butterwing smiled and laughed.

"Now we're both loony! Ehe, ehehe, hahaha, BWAHAHAHAHHAHA!" Contrail screamed in laughter.

"I'm getting a migrane from all of you damn ponys. Too fuckin' loud," Golden muttered.

Gentle hopped to the machine, pressed a few buttons, and soon Golden was holding a cup of coffee in her hooves. Gentle hopped out of the place like Pinkie Pie leaving a party, still laughing her head off.

Gauge shook his head. "Used to be such a nice mare, what a shame." He sipped his coffee.

Golden, now more alert, smirked. "Ya, well, I'm off to Pinkie's for, ya know, 'Cupcakes'."

Contrail burst out laughing again.

As Golden left the room, she decided to take her favorite route out of the Factory. Her, Dash, and Hide were the only ponys allowed to even look outside. She took a sharp left, trotting down the hallway. She manuvered the Factory with ease, she knew the entire layout by memory. Even the 'Princess of Friendship' would have been impressed with her.

She turned her head, and blew her mane out of her face. She saw a dark green filly being tied up. Golden watched as the worker ponies stepped back. She loved the viewing area. She could see one of them turning a crank, as the pony was pulled up and down at the same time. Large CRACKs were heard as the filly's rips were cracked. Loud shrill screams could be heard, and then the filly was dropped onto the conveyor belt. Lasers found pressure points that were easily cut, until the sobbing filly was a bloody mess. Then, the cutting became everywhere, the filly screaming at the top of her lungs. But, as the screams became liquid, the filly was turned into a bloody paste. Golden watched in awe as the blood ran through a tube, and 3 out of the 6 tubes on the otherside of it filled with liquid. She watched the bright greens, blues, and reds get pumped into another part of the Factory, where the spectra would be put together.

She couldn't help herself. She reared back and laughed. She laghed at the Failure's screams, her crys of help, "Mercy!" echoed in Golden's mind. She nodded to the workers, and trotted off, satisfied with seeing the death of yet another poor filly.


End file.
